Try this Haupia Cream Cheese Bars recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- topping:
- 1 cup butter melted
- graham crust ingredients:
- cream cheese filling ingredients:
- 1 (8oz.) package cream cheese
- 1 (8oz.) sour cream
- 1 (8oz.) cool whip
- haupia ingredients:
- 2 cans of coconut milk
- optional shredded coconut
- Carbohydrate 143.763400018781 g
- Cholesterol 488.050000621869 mg
- Fat 201.095700234614 g
- Fiber 4.84799991626014 g
- Protein 13.5631000025116 g
- Saturated Fat 119.158720148579 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (864g)
- Sodium 86052.1202422874 mg
- Sugar 138.915400102521 g
- Trans Fat 14.0029000164231 g
- Calories 2399 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven 350 degrees.
- Coat bottom of 9x13 pan with a non stick spray.
- Gently press graham cracker crumbs into baking pan.
- Using melted butter, drizzle over graham crumbs and bake for 15 minutes.
- Let cool.
- Combine cream cheese and sugar and blend with an electric mixer.
- Then blend in sour cream and fold in cool whip.
- Spread over cooled crust and refrigerate to set.
- Dissolve cornstarch and water.
- In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, sugar and cornstarch mixture.
- Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens to a custard like texture.
- Remove from heat and let cool. (Be sure it's completely cooled before layering over cream cheese)
- Spread haupia filling onto the cream cheese layer.
- Top with shredded coconut, optional
- Let set for approximately 2 hours in refrigerate before serving.
Why is that coconut layer refusing to thicken? When starch molecules encounter heat alongside liquid, they hydrate and swell, forming a matrix that traps moisture into a rigid gel, provided the saucepan does not exceed a moderate temperature that would otherwise scorch the delicate plant fats. Building structured desserts requires understanding how individual components behave under thermal stress and refrigeration.
Managing Temperature and Timing for Stable Layers
Achieving distinct, clean slices relies entirely on controlling thermal transitions between the crust, dairy, and coconut layers. The baked graham base must reach ambient temperature before any dairy touches it, otherwise residual heat will melt the emulsified fats in the cream cheese and sour cream, turning a firm base into a soggy liability. Similarly, the cooked haupia must cool completely on the counter before spreading; pouring warm coconut custard onto whipped topping causes immediate structural collapse and weeping. Allowing the assembled 9x13 pan to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours lets the starches fully set and the dairy proteins stabilize.
- If the coconut mixture remains thin after heating, ensure the cornstarch was fully dissolved in cold water before introducing it to the hot pan to prevent lumps.
- Freezing these bars is not recommended because thawed coconut milk and whipped toppings separate, yielding an unappealing, watery texture upon defrosting.
- Store the pan tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to three days without losing slice integrity.
